Deep Ecumenism was one of Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi z"l's central teachings and a defining piece of his identity as exemplified in his life's work. Coined by his friend and colleague Reverend Matthew Fox, Deep Ecumenism teaches us that every religious tradition is a way to the One. Reb Zalman taught that no single spiritual path contains all the essential spiritual "vitamins," and challenged us to go beyond simply respecting other religious paths to undertake "the more intrepid exploration in which one learns about oneself through participatory engagement with another religion or tradition."

In the spirit of togetherness, and to honor the memory of our esteemed and beloved teacher Reb Zalman, ALEPH and Yavneh celebrate a Year of Deep Ecumenism in 2015.

Save the dates for these exciting ALEPH programs:

GETTI﻿NG IT TOGETHER: Reb Zalman’s Legacy and The Jew in The Lotus 25th Year Retrospecti﻿ve, July 3 – 5, 2015 at West Chester University, PA

25 years ago Reb Zalman and a group of distinguished rabbis from across the denominational spectrum went to Dharamsala to meet with the Dalai Lama. Their mission was to share Jewish wisdom with the leader of Tibetan Buddhism; in so doing, they learned more about what connects us as Jews across our differences, and also about what connects us with practitioners of other religous traditions.

Join ALEPH July 3-5, 2015 — the anniversary, on the Gregorian calendar, of Reb Zalman’s yahrzeit — for a 25th anniversary celebration of that Dharamsala trip and an opportunity to recommit ourselves to the holy work of Deep Ecumenism. Participants will include several of those who took part in the Dharamsala trip, including Rabbi Yitz and Blu Greenberg, Rabbi Moshe Waldoks and chronicler Rodger Kamenetz.

Meister Eckhart wrote: “Divinity is an underground river that no one can stop and no one can dam up.”

Following that, Reverend Mathew Fox wrote, regarding the many wells into that One River, “we would make a grave mistake if we confused [any one well] with the flowing waters of the underground river. Many wells, one river. That is Deep Ecumenism.”

Ruach Ha’Aretz will explore the theme of Deep Ecumenism through study, practice and the arts. The faculty will include many of your favorite Jewish Renewal teachers who are engaging in the work of deep ecumenism as well as guest teachers and spiritual leaders from other faith traditions.